Skip to content

Physics Playground

Simulations How we teach Pricing

Language

Log in Start learning free

Loading…

Physics Playground

Built on open, peer-reviewed sources: OpenStax, The Feynman Lectures on Physics, HyperPhysics, NASA and NIST. See our sources.

Learn

Physics course
Math for Physics
Start with the math toolkit
Simulations
Glossary
Exercises
Past exams
Library
How we teach

Company

Pricing
Terms
Privacy
Contact

© 2026 Physics Playground. Made for the curious.Language

Exercises Numbers, fractions and percents

Example 4.24 from Prealgebra, 4.2 Multiply and Divide Fractions

Multiply and Divide Fractions: example 4.24

Use a diagram to model $\frac{1}{2} \cdot \frac{3}{4} .$

Work it out on paper first. Then open the solution one step at a time, and stop as soon as you can finish on your own.

Solution
First shade in $\frac{3}{4}$ of the rectangle.

We will take $\frac{1}{2}$ of this $\frac{3}{4},$ so we heavily shade $\frac{1}{2}$ of the shaded region.

Notice that $3$ out of the $8$ pieces are heavily shaded. This means that $\frac{3}{8}$ of the rectangle is heavily shaded.
Therefore, $\frac{1}{2}$ of $\frac{3}{4}$ is $\frac{3}{8},$ or $\frac{1}{2} \cdot \frac{3}{4} = \frac{3}{8} .$

Your turn

The book's Try It right after this example: same idea, new numbers. Only the answer is given.

Use a diagram to model: $\frac{1}{2} \cdot \frac{3}{5} .$

How did it go?

PreviousMultiply and Divide Fractions: example 4.23 Next Multiply and Divide Fractions: example 4.25

From Prealgebra (1st edition) by OpenStax (Rice University), section 4.2, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Original at openstax.org. We split the solution into steps; the words, numbers and figures are the book's. OpenStax doesn't endorse this site.